Emily Armstrong
Google
I found EcoBelmonte through an old travel article (pre-Covid) and the author's description stayed with me over many months. We only cooked for two nights, though I wish I had booked for longer, as EcoBelmonte is the perfect launch pad for excursions up and down the Tyrrhenian coast and into the mountains of the Sila around Cosenza.
The flaw in my planning was that we would arrive in Rome late morning and drive six hours straight down to EcoBelmonte. After some problems with our car rental, and a few bouts of traffic (mainly near Rome), our travel time kept increasing. Gabriella patiently waited and responded with "We're here!" Unfortunately what should have been a 7:30pm arrival stretched to 11:15pm. By that point, we had long missed dinner and completely lost Gabriella's very clear instructions about how to find the parking and entrance to the albergo's central piazza. I also seemed not to have clicked "WhatsApp" on to data so Gabriella and I could not communicate. Thankfully a couple of summer residents on passegiata took us down endless stone stairways until, like magic, the tiny piazza was before us. And somehow, kind and welcoming, Gabriella was still waiting for us.
At that hour it was hard to get a sense of anything so Gabriella and her husband, Gianfranco, quickly settled us in. After bringing us to our room, they provided a selection of antipasti from the night's dinner we missed -- beans with mussels, slices of zucchini fritatta, anchovy polpette, and eggplant parmigiana. All delicious. We stumbled into bed and hoped to beat the worst of the jet lag.
The morning was a revelation. After a somewhat sweaty night's sleep, we stepped onto one of our two (!!) verande, to a stunning view of the tranquil Tyrrhenian framed by the mountains. Whatever you imagine, this first view will exceed it. After a breakfast of local cheese and home-cured salumi, we reconnected with Gabriella, who provided some background on the albergo and local community. We then headed out on a day excursion to Tropea, about 90 minutes south.
In the evening, post-siesta, we took the winding road down to the municipal beach and had the most relaxing and refreshing dip in the ocean. To say that the water in Calabria is perfect is no exaggeration. It's clear as the Caribbean but cool enough to feel like a treat after a humid day of adventuring. And as Belmonte Calabro is on Italy's western coast, we were treated to a long, luxurious sunset.
The setting for dinner was sensational and the meal itself was one of the best we had on our trip. Although we eat mostly vegetarian / vegan and the meal was focused around meat, the food was light and representative of the region. There was a beautiful cheese and charcuterie platter to start, including crostini with 'nduja, ricotta, and braised beet greens, as well as eggplant stuffed with a polpette mixture that reminded me of my grandmother's meatballs. On and on this beautiful meal went, concluding with stewed spiced figs and rose liquore. Everything was made in-house and cooked in the open kitchen below.
While EcoBelmonte is not for luxury travelers, and Americans may have to adjust to the lack of AC in the summer months, the albergo diffuso is truly a special place with an important mission to revitalize the local community while respecting that environment. Our casa had beautiful tile details, the aforementioned two balconies, and a tiny but fully functional little kitchen for longer stays. There is a wonderful aesthetic to the space -- each casa is unique and well thought out.
EcoBelmonte proved to be one of the most memorable and lovely parts of our trip to Calabria. Gabriella is a lovely, gentle, and knowledgeable host. She and Gianfranco have succeeded in creating a one-of-a-kind destination that is more than a hotel, it is a whole community. EcoBelmonte is well worth the trip deep into Calabria -- the gracious hospitality equals the breathtaking countryside and we will not soon forget it!
